Device for displaying advertisements.



No. 659,428. Patented Dot. 9, I900.

J. ADAMS &. J. CRAWFORD.

DEVICE FDR DISPLAYING ADVERTISEMENTS.

(Application filed Apr. 9, 1900.) (No. Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

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'No. 659,428. I Patented Oct. 9, I900: J. ADAMS & 'J.CRAWFORD.

DEVICE FOR DISPLAYING ADVERTISEMENTS.

(Application filed Apr. 9, 1900.?

4N0 MoqeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT CFFICE.

JOHN ADAMS, or PITTSBURG, AND 'JoHN' CRAWFORD, or ALLEGHENY,

. PENNSYLVANIA.

DEVICE-FOR DISPLAYIN'G ADVERTlSEMENTSi Y SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 659,428, dated 0 9, 1900- Application filed April 9, 1900. Serial No. 12,265. (No model.)

resident of Allegheny, county of Allegheny,

and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Devices for Displaying Advertisements; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,

and exact description thereof.

Our invention relates to a device for displaying advertisements in street-cars, omnibuses, and similar conveyances.

In street-cars and omnibuses the space on each side embraced by the curved upper side of the car is usually filled with advertising cards and signs, and by reason of the limited space available in public conveyances the number of advertisements that can be displayed in this manner is limited.

The object of our invention is to provide a device for displaying advertisements in public conveyances and is of such a nature as to increase the number of advertisements that can be displayed in a given space.

To this end it consists of two rollers, one placed at each end or other similar point of the car or similar vehicle, and an endless can vas or similar belt passing around such rollers and adaptedto receive on the outer face thereof the advertising cards or signs. One of the rollers is driven from a suitable source of power, thereby causing the belt to travel continuously, bringing the various advertising-cards successively into view.

Our invention further consists in providing suitable means-for supporting the belt in its travel to prevent it from sagging or slipping off the rollers.

It further consists in certain details of construction, which will be hereinafter specifically pointed out and claimed.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use our invention, we will describe the.

same more fully, referring to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of our invention applied to an ordinary street-car. 2 is a cross-section of the same on an enlarged scale, showing the roller for supporting the belt. Fig. 3 is a similar cross-section showing the frame or web for supporting the tracks.

or web for supporting the same.

Fig.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of our device on an enlarged scale, with a portion broken away to more clearly show the construction. Fig. 5 is a detail showing the tracks and the frame Fig. 6 is a cross-section on the line 6 6, Fig. 2; and Fig. 7 is a section on the line 7 7, Fig. 6.

The reference-numeral l designates an ordinary street-car, omnibus, or similar vehicle having the curved portion 2, as is common in all vehicles of this character. At each end of the vehicle or at any suitable point therein, secured to the curved portion 2, are brackets 3 4, in which are mounted in an inclined position suitable rollers 5 6, which serve as supports for the endless belt 7, formed of canvas or similar material. The advertising signs or cards are suitably attachedto said belt. The journals of the rollers 5 6 fit in bushings 8, seated in sockets in' the brackets 3 4,-

which trunnions are held in place by means of pointed screws 9, fitting in screw-threaded openings in opposite sides of said brackets. By this means the bearings are securely held in place, but are trunnioned on the points of the screws 9, so that they may readily aline themselves with the axes of the rollers. The roller 5 is provided at its lower end with a suitable pulley lO and at its upper end with a similar pulley 11, the pulley 10 being connected by means of a belt 12 with any suitablesource of power, which may be the caraxle or a small motor located underneath the seat of the car or in any other convenient place. The belt isfshown as passing over guide-sheaves 13 for deflecting it in a downward direction. Instead of the belt 12 the roller 5 may.be driven by any other suitable mechanism as, for instance, by'a vertical shaft connected at its upper end by a belt, sprocket, or spur gearing with the roller 5. Around the upper roller 11 passes an endless belt 14, leading to a pulley 15 on the top of the roller 6 for imparting rotation to the same. I

. By reason of the inclined position of the rollers 5 6 the belt 7 would slip from the same if means were not provided for retaining it thereupon. To prevent this and also for preventing the belt from sagging and to keep it taut to properly display the advertisements thereupon, we provide an endless track 1.6 at the upper end of said rollers and a similar track 17 at the lower end thereof. Each track consists of a continuous wire passing around the rollers 5 6 and engaged by suitable means, such as the rollers 18, mounted in clips 19, secured to the upper and lower edges of the belt. The tracks 16 17 are supported at suitable intervals by frames or webs 20, to the corners of which the wires 16 17 are secured by soldering or in any other convenient manneras, for instance, by means of screws or rivets. The frames or webs 20 are of suitable width to hold the wires of the tracks 16 17 at a distance apart corresponding to the distance between the two reaches of the belt 7. They are provided at their upper and lower ends with the enlargements 21, which are perforated and internally screwthreaded to receive the threaded ends of screws 22, said screws passing through perforated brackets 23, secured to the sides of the car. By means of the construction disclosed the tracks 16 17 can be adjusted up or down by unscrewing one of the screws 23 and tightening the opposing screw to bring the tracks to the proper vertical position to elfectively guide the belt 7 in its travel.

In order to make room for the tracks 16 17 and the rollers 18 and clips 19, the rollers 5 and 6 are provided at each end with the cutaway portions 24, which, in eliect, form annular grooves about said rollers.

To prevent the belt 7 slipping on the rollers 5 and 6, especially when the latter are of .small diameter, we provide the rollers, preferably near their middle,withannnlar grooves 25, having their bottoms formed in numerous flat faces 26, constituting chords of an arc of a circle which are engaged by a chain 27, formed of flat links, to which chain the belt 7 is secured at intervals by suitable means, as by means of wire staples 28,passing through the belt and around the chain. The flat faces 26 of the annular grooves 25 are preferably of the same length as the links of the chain, so that the latteris positively driven in somewhat the same way as a sprocket-chain and carries with it the belt 7.

The advertising matter is suitably secured to the outer face of the belt 7, and the latter is driven continuously through the mechanism shown, the rollers 18, traveling upon the tracks 16 and 17, holding the beltsteady, so that the advertising matter thereupon may be easily read and preventing the belt from slipping off the rollers 5 and 6.

\Vhile we have shown our invention applied to a street-car, omnibus, or similar conveyance, we do not intend to limit ourselves thereto, as obviously it is capable of use for displaying advertisements or any other suitable matter in any place where space is limited and where it is desired to display more ad vertisements than can be accommodated in the available space. By the use of a belt, as shown, the space available for the advertisements is practically doubled, and by having said belt travel continuously all of the advertisements or similar matter are successively displayed.

What we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a device for displaying advertisements, the combination with an endless belt, of rollers for moving the same, tracks adjacent both edges of the belt, and means secured to the belt and taking over said tracks to support the belt and keep the same taut.

2. In a device for displaying advertisements, the combination with an endless belt, of rollers for moving the same, tracks adjacent both edges of the belt, clips secured to the edges of the belt and extending beyond said tracks, and rollers journaled in said clips and bearing against the outer sides of said tracks thereby holding said belt taut.

3. In a device for displaying advertisements, the combination with an endless belt, of inclined rollers for moving the same, tracks adjacent the edges of the belt, brackets for supporting the tracks, and adjustable connections between the tracks and brackets.

4:. In a device for displaying advertisements, the combinationwith an endless belt, of rollers for supporting the same, said rollers having annular grooves in each end, the continuous track adjacent the edges of the belt embracing the rollers and lying in the annular grooves thereof, the clips on the belt and the rollers in said clips adapted to runon said tracks.

5. In a device for displaying advertisements, the combination with an endless belt, of rollers for moving the same, a continuous track adjacent the edges of the belt, frames or webs to which said tracks are secured, and means for adjustably supporting said frames or webs.

In testimony whereof we, the said JOHN ADAMS and JOHN CRAWFORD, have hereunto set our hands.

JOHN ADAMS. JOI-IN CRAWFORD.

Witnesses:

WALTER FAMARISS, ROBERT C. TOTTEN. 

